170 Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain, 



All the specimens which I saw in Spain had the breast conspi- 

 cuously tawny-red. I cannot help still thinking that some of 

 the birds of this genus, which I saw in Epirus*, were of a new 

 species, from their remarkably small size and certain differences 

 of flight, &c., although there is no doubt that the true G. harhatus 

 occurs frequently in those parts. I was told of the existence of 

 two eyries of Quebrantahuesos in the mountains of Istan, in An- 

 dalucia (this was in April) ; my informant added that they had 

 not laid ! and as I unfortunately do not possess the rock-climb- 

 ing skill of certain brothers of the ' Ibis,' and felt convinced that 

 no inducement would persuade the natives to attempt a siege, I 

 did not go out of my way to inspect the localities. The Lam- 

 mergeyer appears to live on terms of distant courtesy with his 

 neighbours, the Griffon Vultures ; he evidently is not of a soci- 

 able nature, though doubtless he possesses many domestic virtues, 

 and seldom travels, or even goes out to dine, unaccompanied by 

 his mate. 



I have generally found that the lower orders in Spain refer the 

 inquirer to the province of Estremadura for every beast or bird 

 concerning which they know little or nothing. " En Estrema- 

 dura hay muchos," has been said to me about almost every bird 

 of the country — the truth being, I suppose, that Estremadura is 

 comparatively little known, and contains a great expanse of unin- 

 habited wastes and forests which are apparently, as yet, quite 

 as little known, ornithologically, as the parts beyond Jordan, 

 before the explorations of Mr. Tristram and his friends. It is 

 difficult to understand why Spain should be so little known to 

 naturalists : there is no real difficulty or danger in visiting every 

 corner of the land, and there can, I imagine, be few countries 

 which so well repay any slight amount of discomfort in the way 

 of bad accommodation, number of bed-fellows, and the like, I 

 can state on my word of honour, that the flea of Spain is a trifle 

 when compared to his cousin of Sardinia, and both sink into in- 

 significance before him of Tunis. But again I am forgetting 

 myself, and must bear in mind that, although it is difficult to 

 travel in Spain without becoming in some degree acquainted 

 with the insect-world, I am not writing an entomological paper. 

 * Ibis, 1860, p. 2. 



